Every kid knows about the legend of Bigfoot. Cartoons have been full of Bigfoot and Yeti clichés for years. Growing up in the northeast I always thought that bigfoot was a myth that nobody took seriously; a mystery wrapped in a joke, if you will, much like the Jackalope. Harry and the Hendersons was one of my favorite childhood films, but I never questioned whether it could possibly be based on science. It wasn’t until I moved to the Pacific Northwest that I found out Bigfoot is real.

About two months before moving to Oregon, I encountered an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience with guest Dr. Jeff Meldrum. Jeff is a scientist who studies animal movement. He’s done extensive scientific studies of alleged Bigfoot tracks and analyzed video clips claiming to have captured Bigfoot or Sasquatch. He also wrote a book called Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science. After listening to this podcast and hearing for the first time that many people ACTUALLY believe that Bigfoot exists. I had to do some more research.

As I began to dive into my Sasquatch research I learned that many people in the Pacific Northwest have claimed to have had encounters with Bigfoot. Washington, Oregon, and Northern California are the areas with the highest rate of sightings, but Sasquatch encounters have been reported all over the country. I also learned about ‘Squatching; which is basically camping with the hopes of encountering a Bigfoot. People who go ‘squatching often knock on trees with sticks in an effort to communicate with Sasquatch, some even use Bigfoot calls.

I regret that I never had the opportunity to go ‘squatching while we were in Oregon. However, we did take a road trip through bigfoot country. And we spent a couple of weeks camping in Humboldt County, California; not far from Bluff Creek, where Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin shot their famously controversial Bigfoot video in 1967. We heard lots of sounds late at night, but nothing we could definitely say was a Sasquatch.

The jury is still out for me. I’ve got a lot more camping to do in the northwest before I’m willing to join up with the believers. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to learn a lot about this rather obscure bit of Pacific Northwestern culture, though. Who knows if Bigfoot is real or not? I’m just glad to know that some people are willing to get out there and look. You know, just in case.

Tell us what you think! Have you ever had a Bigfoot encounter of your own? What do you think about the believers? Would you ever consider going ‘Squatching in the PNW?